REM Behavior Disorder and Its Symptoms

Have you ever had a dream in which you were physically fighting with someone or something else? Usually when we have dreams like this, our bodies remain still even though we have a mental image of us being physically active. Those who suffer from REM Behavior Disorder may not experience this kind of dream the same way though.

The Symptoms and Causes of Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is a disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness. It is a condition that is opposite to insomnia, in which people have trouble staying awake during the day. People who have hypersomnia are able to fall asleep at any point in time, whether it be during work or while they’re driving. The National Sleep Foundation has reported that up to 40% of Americans have experienced hypersomnia symptoms at some point in their life.

Living with Arthritis: How to Reduce Pain and Better Your Sleep

Having to deal with pain every day and night can lead to profound lifestyle changes. Arthritis, which is a general term to describe over 100 medical conditions, generally affects the elderly and is the main cause for disability among people over 55 years old. The most common form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis (OA), but there are other forms of arthritis that can affect a person even at an early age. To better understand how to manage the pain and get better sleep, you need to understand what arthritis is. Arthritis is usually caused by something going wrong within your joint, leading to a specific type of arthritis. Whether it is a lack of fluid within your joint, wearing of the cartilage that stops 2 bones from rubbing together or damage to the tendons and ligaments, arthritis pain can cause depression and sleep disorders.

Out of over 100 types of arthritis, these are the most commons forms:

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome and its Symptoms

Do you find yourself falling asleep after midnight each and every night? Are you dozing off around the same exact time in the early morning hours? If you have answered yes to these questions, you may be dealing with the sleep disorder, delayed sleep phase syndrome.

The Symptoms, Causes and Cures of Sleep Paralysis

Have you ever found yourself lying in bed thinking you’re awake, but are unable to move or yell for help? Have you felt pressure on your body or a sensation of choking during the night? If so, you may have experienced sleep paralysis. There have also been reports of people facing hallucinations during sleep paralysis, by hearing, seeing or feeling things that are not really there. Although it’s an extremely scary incident, sleep paralysis is not considered a serious health issue.

Restless Leg Syndrome

Unlike some other common sleep disorders, RLS or Restless Leg Syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects a person during an unlikely time, while resting. RLS is characterized by an unpleasant feeling, sometimes throbbing pain, a pulling or tugging sensation, all which seem to be uncontrollable. To further look into how RLS affects people, it is a disorder where a person has an uncontrollable urge to move their legs. Instances when RLS can occur are most commonly found to be at night, while lying still in bed and getting ready to sleep. This disorder can pose health concerns not only for the person who is suffering with RLS, but also for anyone who shares a bed with them.

We all know sleep is essential to a productive day and better health, but what happens when quality sleep is out of your control? It can be hard to cope with fatigue and exhaustion, especially if you are not the person suffering from RLS. This disorder may sound humorous, but it is not at all funny.

Is Your Child Sleep Deprived?

It doesn’t matter what how old you are, getting enough sleep is vital to memory development and living a healthy life. As you age, the amount of sleep required to function at optimal performance decreases, yet you may overlook sleep deprivation as a reason your days are sluggish and you feel unmotivated. But let’s focus on how sleep deprivation can affect our kids; it may be worse than you previously thought.

The average child, aged between 3 and 12, needs roughly 10-13 hours of sleep per night. The younger the child is, the more sleep they will need. Sleep plays an important role in brain development, coordination and can often cause developing attention disorders like ADD (attention deficit disorder). One issue parents may face is not recognizing if their child is sleep deprived. It can sometimes be hard as we mistake these telltale signs for normal child-like behavior. Some of the signs to watch for are:

Effects of Snoring on Your Health and Relationships

Do you or someone you know snore during the night? Having to deal with a person who snores can be a huge pain in anyone’s side. But if you are the person who snores, you may not be aware or know that it is bothersome to others around you. The effects of snoring are two-fold. Not only can it be a sign of a more significant disorder, sleep apnea, it can wreak havoc on personal relationships.

Now to be fair, since a person whom snores is not aware of this loud disturbance, treat them no differently than you would someone who doesn’t snore. For the most part, it is out of their control. Snoring is caused by blockage of the airway. When sleeping, tissue in the throat begins to relax as your body relaxes. The deeper the sleep, the more relaxed a person becomes. This blockage is what causes the loud “snores.”

What is Fatigue and How to Beat It

Two common phrases that often times gets confused are “I feel weak” or “I am fatigued.” Knowing and understanding the difference between weakness and fatigue are important in figuring out possible causes and reliefs from such symptoms. Weakness is a lack of physical strength in your muscles as well as the need to exert more effort to move your limbs. Possible causes may be over working, poor diet or exerting too much force. Fatigue is generally the feeling of being tired or exhausted, and having a lack of energy or motivation.

The Causes of Sleep Disorders in Women

Did you know that women are twice as likely to have difficulties falling and staying asleep than men? There are many reasons that drive this to happen, including female hormones, menstrual cycles, and stress-related activities. Typically, younger women are more likely to have a good night’s rest, but in some cases, women who are in their reproductive years may still find this to be a problem. Additionally, women may reduce the number of hours they sleep because of their lifestyles as mothers and wives. With thirty percent of employed women reporting problems sleeping, this is not a topic that should be taken lightly. Below we will provide the most common reasons for sleep disorders that women face.